What is the Bluebelt?

The proposed 1.5 million acre Bluebelt will protect more of the Ontario’s critical water supplies. This protection will permanently safeguard the sources of clean drinking water for over 1.25 million residents as well as supporting agriculture and rural economies, and preserving natural heritage. The areas identified for permanent protection provide a variety of important functions:

Protecting the proposed ‘Bluebelt’ from urban development is particularly important for inland communities such as Waterloo, Guelph-Wellington and Simcoe County, as they rely heavily on groundwater supplies. The only alternative—building costly infrastructure to pipe in water from the Great Lakes—will cause urban sprawl outside built-up areas, paving over areas important for preventing downstream flooding and recharging aquifers.